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i thought this was a good episode. people are being way too harsh on it. since when is there a show that's good every episode? (aside from Aria. i shit you not) there was definitely some strange choices made in making the ep, but that didn't stop it from being enjoyable.

If you strip away all the context, it isn't a really bad episode for a certain group of viewers. The problem here is that people do things with a certain expectation, this too applies to watching an anime series. With episode 3, Hanasaku Iroha doesn't seem to stay true to itself; the style of episode 1, 2 and 4 differ too much from episode 3.

Compare this to a video game franchise. In a trilogy, if fans really liked the first two games and then the developers decided to do something completely different in the last one, even if it isn't bad by itself, would the fans not be angry?

Two reasons I don't like this episode myself are:

I wouldn't necessarily call Ohana having Stockholm Syndrome, because that would require more information on what she was actually thinking. Was she even thinking?! The reason behind her actions completely escapes me.

If you try to be dramatic, don't go 'you're ruining the mood!' accompanied with funny music. It doesn't seem to be a comedy scene when you're trying to jump off a cliff.

Two reasons I don't like this episode myself are:[LIST][*]I wouldn't necessarily call Ohana having Stockholm Syndrome, because that would require more information on what she was actually thinking. Was she even thinking?! The reason behind her actions completely escapes me.

I think I was the one who first suggested it might be a bit of Stockholm Syndrome, but to be honest I'm not sure that's the best explanation for why Ohana acts the way she does.

Instead, I think its a combination of curiousity and embarassament. Particularly the latter. She doesn't want to have to explain how she ended up tied up, so she's going to talk her way out of it. There's a number of factors I think feed into this decision, notably that many Japanese hate being the center of attention even if they're the victim, along with Ohana's somewhat naive nature and tendency to like to solve her problems herself. And while I don't think she was necessarily sympathetic to the novelist, I think she was genuinely curious about the novelist's story and thought this was the best way to get him to spill the beans.

As for the rest of the episode... as mentioned previously, I didn't see the huge mood shift many people did, nor did it strike me as indicative of where the series was headed. While some seem to have gone into this expecting a pure drama along the lines of True Tears, I expected a slice of life "dramedy" - just one with significantly more compelling drama and poignancy compared to most anime SoLs. Furthermore, the anime had been throwing Ohana curveballs since the beginning. Hence, a mainly comic episode didn't phase me, in fact it just told me to expect a more balanced episode next week. And the episode itself was a riot. Unlike many shows, this show didn't forget that a comic fanservice episode should be funny, and that's why we got little moments like Tohru getting left behind at the light and the novelist puking his guts out while Nako gives a "what did I just do" look in the hottest way possible.

Not quite sure what I'd rate the episode though (I'm bad at putting numeric values on this stuff). The one flaw I do think this episode had was that the inn staff forgave the novelist too easily. Even given that the Japanese often ignore mental issues that really deserve professional help and that the staff may not have known that the writer actually tied up Ohana rather than just threatening it (remember, he had untied her before they showed up, Ohana would have needed to report that detail), it was a bit hard to take.

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Last edited by 0utf0xZer0; 2011-05-01 at 03:02.
Reason: Revised opinion

Actually, the bit where Ohana was looking at the 'shibari guide' and giving the guy pointers to which rope goes where was absolutely hilarious, I thought. So was the bit where the old guy blushed when the writer threatened to tie him up.

Actually, the bit where Ohana was looking at the 'shibari guide' and giving the guy pointers to which rope goes where was absolutely hilarious, I thought. So was the bit where the old guy blushed when the writer threatened to tie him up.

Not to say this episode was bad, but that was easily the best part for me. As for Ohana's reaction when she got tied up. I was rather surprised to see a total lack of fear, even probably anger but correcting him how to do it properly. Further on, she was listening to the author's problems than what normal people would probably do. It was pretty easy to see the author seemed like a pushover and there were many opportunities to get help.

As nosy as she is, I like her good intentions and willingness to listen otherwise she's just like any other teenager. And her persistence and her ways of dealing with the situation easily makes the show other than the pleasant scenary and the overall character designs. I'm willing to look past the flaw of the show which was supposed to be quite realistic yet at times, it isn't for me. I'm surprised at how lenient the grandma was with the author even though there's that motto, "Customer comes first", she takes it to extreme literally.

I always hold the philosophy that an exaggerated comedy scene should never drive a serious plot. A pure comedy series should have no noticeable chronology and therefore, no real plot. A pure drama should have no comedy scenes driving its plot. A blend of both is quite possible. HanaIro 1, 2 and 4 were examples of it.

Comedy scenes are usually exaggerated and hard to believe, but they're acceptable, because there is no plot. You just can't put in a comedy scene that's not believable to drive a rather serious plot, especially if the action makes considerable changes to the plot. I always give the example in Clannad where the blend of comedy and plot went completely haywire, but since it's a comedy driving a plot, it's a spoiler. I'll try to limit the amount of spoilers, but read at your own risk.

Spoiler for Clannad Scene:

A running joke throughout the series is the Furukawa's bread. In one scene, where two gangs were about to fight each other, the 'good guys' decided to eat Furukawa's poisonous rainbow colored bread, they all pass out, except Tomoya and Nagisa. In a whim, Tomoya decides to fight the other gang alone.

Hmmm... tried rewatching this and I have to say that I don't think my embarrassment theory holds up that well.

However, I still think that Ohana's behaviour makes sense, even if it isn't smart behaviour. To me, she came across as not thinking clearly due to being in a state of shock. In other words, she's so weirded out by it all that she's thinking more about trying to make sense of it than trying to escape.

I also think she may not feel as threatened as we might assume - once the gag is loose, she can scream if need be. She just doesn't want to at that moment.

For reference, BTW, my friends thought this episode was a riot, and while they liked the first two episodes too, I can kind of see why preorders spiked after this aired.